Reports say McCann will pay the baseball organization $20 million – a personal investment not associated with 1-800-Flowers.com – for a 4 percent share in the cash-strapped team. McCann, a Queens native, is a lifelong Mets fan and a long-time friend of Fred Wilpon and the Wilpon family, 1-800-Flowers.com spokesman Joseph Pititto said.

“[McCann] is thrilled to be associated with such an iconic local sports franchise,” Pititto said.

The Mets’ owners sought to raise cash after they were sued by the trustee seeking to recover money for victims of the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme. Hedge fund manager David Einhorn agreed in May 2011 to purchase a minority stake in the team for $200 million, but the Mets said Sept. 1 they were calling off that deal and instead wanted to sell limited partner shares for $20 million each.

The Mets have taken to other measures recently to raise money, selling a variety of memorabilia, especially items associated with the franchise’s first no-hitter, thrown by Johan Santana on June 1.